Tourism to Saint Martin Island Closed for 9 Months Starting Today

Chittagong Bureau    |    ০৮:৪৪ পিএম, ২০২৫-০২-০১

Tourism to Saint Martin Island in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, will be closed for tourists for the next 9 months starting today. During this period, ship services from Cox's Bazar to Saint Martin will also be suspended. As a result, no tourists will be allowed to visit Saint Martin starting in February. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change, the allowed period for visiting the island ended on Friday, January 31.

Typically, tourists travel to Saint Martin from October 1 to March 31 each year, but this year, the government has set the visiting period until January 31.

According to government decisions, during December and January, a daily limit of 2,000 tourists was allowed to visit Saint Martin and stay overnight. However, starting in February, no tourists will be allowed to visit the island. Earlier, the interim government advisory council had decided to limit tourism to the coral island of Saint Martin for four months.

At that time, the deputy press secretary to the chief advisor had stated that tourists would not be allowed to visit Saint Martin in February, as the island would be undergoing cleaning and maintenance. However, due to humanitarian concerns, business owners have requested to extend the visiting period until February 28.

The president of the Saint Martin Hotel-Motel-Resort Owners Association, M.A. Abdur Rahim Jihadi, mentioned that such a crisis has never occurred on the island before. If tourists are completely prohibited from visiting, the residents of the island will face multiple challenges. Hundreds of people are involved in the tourism business on the island. Therefore, from a humanitarian perspective, they are requesting that the island remain open for tourists until February 28.

Mujibur Rahman, the Chairman of Saint Martin Union Parishad, shared that the livelihoods of around 10,500 people on the island are connected to tourism. They rely on the tourism season to sustain their families throughout the year. If ship services could be extended until February, it would benefit the residents.

Imran Hossain, Additional District Magistrate of Cox's Bazar, stated that after January 31, no tourist ships will be allowed to operate to Saint Martin. If the government extends the visiting period, further instructions will be provided for necessary actions.